CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
The following are classroom activities for this curriculum. These are designed to last about 6 days in a 90-minute class that meets every day but can be split in half for classes meeting 45 minutes. For classes meeting less frequently, more steps must be taken to preserve art objects in progress such as wrapping them in plastic so they do not dry out before students can finish.
Materials needed for the artmaking include a variety of 3D modeling materials. I recommend adhesive foam stickers, stiff backing like cardstock or matte board, air dry or kiln dry clay and paint as well as clay tools, liquid glue, thread and yarn of a variety of thickness, textures, and colors. These activities assume students already have experience and competency with 3D art making, and if not the lessons will need to be padded with time for the students to experiment with the material itself before completing their artwork.
LESSON ONE
In this lesson, students will be introduced to basic concepts of cartography such as maps being art objects that seek to represent a given space and can be either navigable or representational. By the end of the lesson students should be able to identify what navigable space means to different population groups and be able to define design to include universal design.
Part One
Ask students to draw the route they take to school in the morning. You should emphasize you are not grading based on accuracy, nor do students need to include more detail than they are comfortable. Draw your own and show it to students as an example. Emphasize you are looking to see what kind of maps people draw. For example, after I did this exercise, I realized I didn’t know the names of most of the streets I passed but knew the location of every bagel spot. After students complete their drawings, poll the students: how many of them did include street names? What major landmarks are near the school and who included them in their map? Ask students if their drawings count as art. Show an image of a screenshot of a route to school taken from a GPS map software like Google Maps and ask students if they think that counts as art. Students may be split, and so introduce the concept of design : things like phones, cars, buildings, ostensibly technology more than art must still be beautiful and easy to use. This is the role of design.
Part Two
Define ‘Universal Design’ for students, and give wheelchair ramps as an example: people who use stairs can use them as well, but they allow people using wheelchairs to get around, but also people pushing strollers, handcarts, etc. At this point, take students on the ‘accessibility audit tour’ mentioned above under Teacher Strategies.
LESSON TWO
In this lesson, students will discuss the work of Carmen Papalia and explore non-visual forms of art and interactions with art. By the end of the lesson students should have at least a paragraph of descriptive writing about their selected artwork, focused on how to communicate the meaning and experience of the artwork without visual descriptors, as well as a paragraph of reflection writing on their opinion on Carmen Papalia’s work.
Part One
Ask students to write their personal definition of art. Have students share to develop a class definition. Beginner art students will likely limit it to subjects covered in class such as drawing, painting, and sculpture. Press students to see how expansive a definition they will agree to: I tell them I define art as any creation with intention. Introduce performance art and describe how it fits into the working definition of art your class has come up with. Students will probably classify it under theater or dance as well, all the better for cross-curricular applications.
Introduce Carmen Papalia and play videos of his work. Ask students to analyze his work, describing how it fits into their definition of art. How did he come up with his work? What is he trying to communicate? How did his work make you feel? How do you think it made people around him feel? What elements of the work were visual, and what were visual or tactile? How do you think he felt walking around during the artwork? Students should write their reflections and share in small groups. Have a few students share to the whole class, and then relate his work to the concept of space explored via maps in order to prepare students for the next part of the lesson.
Part Two
Split students up into pairs and assign each of them an artwork that they are likely unfamiliar with. Students will write one paragraph describing their artwork without relying on visual knowledge. Before they write, demonstrate with the whole class how you would describe an artwork in this manner, and play for them a sample of an audio description of an artwork developed for a blind audience. Have the whole class develop how they would describe one of Carmen Papalia’s works. After students have written their paragraph, they should swap writing with their partner and compare how they described the same artwork, discussing what was similar and different about how they chose to describe the artwork. Did they both describe texture? Did they both use similes, comparing the colors to experiences? How did they describe any emotions evoked by the piece? How did they describe the subjects and their actions? The goal of this assignment is for students to both understand how art can be accessible for those who cannot see the art, but also, for students to understand that everyone approaches the same artwork differently and things that seem obvious to them may not be for others.
LESSON THREE
Part One: Compiling References, Considering Audience
Students will begin by selecting a map to depict in tactile ways over the next few lessons. The purpose of making these maps in a tactile way will be for students to both explore the central theme of maps : everyone has a tie to a location – whatever location you picked you should have a strong enough tie to not get tired of making art about it, as well as this is a way for students to explore how to make a map that can reach a wider audience than a simple paper representation. Students should be able to articulate why they selected the location they did: suggestions to give students include picking where they are from, where they want to go, or where they are now.
If students pick a location with a large area like a country or state, they should research and compile reference maps including topographic maps, major rivers, lakes, or other features, and major points of interest such as the capital city or the city they are from.
If students pick a location with a smaller area such as their city or the school, they should choose their scale: what will they choose to represent since they can’t fit everything in the map? How big will what they choose to represent be? For example, the James River is a major landmark near our school and so it could be represented bigger than a nearby residential neighborhood, despite perhaps being equivalent square footage in the scale of the map.
Once students have compiled their reference maps for their chosen place, have students reflect on the design choices in the maps they collected. What colors, line thicknesses or font did the artists choose to represent different parts of the map? How easy are they to read and what are the consequences of difficult to access maps? What principles of Universal Design did designs with clarity use, and for unclear designs, what principles could be used in redesigning them?
Are they navigable maps? If so, to whom and what mode of transportation? Students should understand most maps are made for a sighted audience, but students should also consider differences in maps made for air, sea, or land travel. Additionally, students can explore older versions of their selected location to discuss how evolution in knowledge, priorities, audience and artist can change the way the same place to shown. While the following example does not immediately relate to tactile maps, it does allow students to explore the question of audience with maps, which is a central tenant of Universal Design as we consider the broadest audience possible.
For example, compare a modern map of the state of Virginia from any GPS map service with the earliest colonial map of Virginia made by John Smith, published in 1612. The map is oriented for someone approaching Virginia by sea and depicts the settlements of Indigenous people. The audience was clearly a colonial one and treats the place and the people like a resource. 44 How do we as a modern audience view this map? We view the state as home and recognize many of the coastlines and indigenous or colonial names that have persisted through the four centuries. However, I am not, and my students are largely not indigenous and so the question of audience must be expanded further. The Library of Virginia published a video in 2024 that featured many indigenous peoples of Virginia today giving their thoughts on the map. Some acknowledged it documents a living, thriving culture as well as tribes that would be obliterated in the following centuries, a valuable piece of knowledge. But most described it as a weapon in the colonial violence that would obliterate those peoples, and seek to destroy culture, language, and connection to land. 45 Compare the colonial map made by John Smith with Powhatan’s Mantle. Likely made around the same time by members of the Powhatan Confederacy, it is a deer hide embroidered with shells that are believed to represent settlements. Should the shells represent tribal nations within the confederacy, and if it is true that it was presented as a gift from Powhatan intended for King James I, it is easy to see how it could be interpreted to show the strength and number of the Powhatan Confederacy, and Powhatan’s reach and status as paramount chief. John Smith’s map is intended to be a tool of navigation, by sea, coming from the east, while Powhatan’s Mantle is representational and represents indigenous power. 46
Students can compare these two maps of the same location from different artistic traditions, including the differences between the maps as 2D and 3D representations of the same place. By considering artist and audience, and a broad array of audiences, students can begin to see maps as more than just artifacts reflecting the dimensions of real space, but instead artifacts that reflect the values and goals of the person who created them.
Part Two: Translating 2D maps into 3D and rubric
Students will now plan how to execute their chosen designs in 3D to make tactile maps. I recommend giving a variety of materials for students to select from, all of which will influence their plans which should be laid out by the student in their sketchbook to facilitate final making. If they are including topography, how will they build up layers of their material without making it too wet to dry or heavy? Will they represent different features through a variety of textures, or line widths, or raised lines? If they are using a material that is comparatively faster to work with (adhesive foam versus clay) will they show a high level of detail and craftsmanship or will they choose to make multiple? If they are representing place names, will they use tactile roman numerals, high contrast print, or braille? (I recommend adhesive gemstone stickers for representing braille in an art piece but impress upon students the importance of correct translation and legibility.) Students should have a competency in whatever materials they choose, especially should they choose clay or plaster.
At this point, students should have selected what area they will represent in tactile terms and have a wide range of references to assist them. They should understand that maps can be navigable or representational and can change in how they depict the same area depending on artist, audience, and art tradition. They should understand that maps are designed objects that can include or exclude people depending on their design. They should understand that tactile maps are one of the many tools that Blind or low vision people use to navigate. Their final artwork should be a tactile representation of their selected map that uses high levels of craftsmanship. Students should be graded on their ability to communicate this understanding in their final art piece and in their final artist statement.
LESSON FOUR
During this lesson, students should build the armature of their final tactile map. Demonstrate the translation process to students in the beginning using a map of your choice so students can see how to get started. They should make sure their map is on stiff board so they may be displayed. Students should show understanding of how the rough draft process applies to sculptural works: final paint and details are for later, sculptures must be structurally sound, etc. At the end of class have students complete an exit ticket where they judge their process thus far and estimate how much more time they need.
LESSON FIVE
During this lesson, students should complete their final tactile map. Demonstrate the standards of craftsmanship of a final project to students at the beginning. What does ‘done’ look like for different scales of maps, different materials, different skill levels? Students should show understanding of how the final draft process applies to sculptural work: these artworks must be ready and able for the public to interact with them, they must fully communicate their intention, they must be clearly finished. While typically final drafts focus on it looking finished, and it would be foolish to expect a class of majority sighted students not to include the visual in their assessment of even their tactile artwork, students should also focus on does it feel finished. Does it tell a consistent story in texture, topography, and finish? At the end of class students should reflect on what was easy and difficult about the building process, as well as reflect on how their artwork meets the given rubric.
LESSON SIX
Part One: Gallery Walk and Critique
When the artworks are dry, place student artworks on the tables and have students walk around to both look at and touch their classmate’s work. They should choose a classmate to write a critique for, using whatever critique method is taught in class, but their critique should include specifically their understanding of the map based purely on texture and touch. What do they understand of the location’s major natural and built features? What was it like touching their artwork, was it cool, warm, rough, smooth?
Part Two: Artist Statement
Students should complete an artist statement on their artwork, explaining to the audience what their map depicts and why they chose that area. They should include their definition of Universal Design, and how their map meets it. They should include their reflection on making art focused on the tactile rather than the purely visual. They should include any preconceptions they had about maps and what has changed in their understanding.
DISPLAYING ARTWORK
Since these artworks were built to be touched, they make great candidates for display in areas around the school or community that are not protected by glass or height. Include signage about the student’s exploration of art by Blind artists, how maps differ in design depending on the audience, and Universal Design philosophy. Explain that viewers may touch, but carefully. Leaving a notebook for visitors to record feedback can be valuable for students to understand how their artwork is interpreted by others. If possible, connect with community members and resources to translate your signage in braille.
This is also an excellent opportunity to reach out to community members to see if the art can be displayed in centers for the local blind community, especially since they are not typically thought of as places to display public school student art. For example, the state commission for the Blind is near my school and they have been nothing but enthusiastic about partnerships. They would also be a good resource for getting professional printed signage in Braille, as Braille written using a stylus in my experience is not as resilient for crowds.
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